BY COLE SINANIAN
cole@queensledger.com
Congressional candidate Chuck Park showcased his breakdancing skills in front of dozens of supporters and curious locals at Woodside bar Chowk Thursday night.
The fundraising event was part of the former diplomat’s insurgent campaign to unseat incumbent Democrat Grace Meng in New York’s 6th Congressional District, which includes Queens neighborhoods Bayside, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Woodside.
A progressive whose campaign has focused on immigrants’ rights, ending US military interventionism, and a fierce critique of “establishment democrats” who take money from corporate and foreign lobbyists, Park has leaned into in-person town halls and social events like Thursday’s fundraiser as a means to boost his local recognition.
To kick off the event, Park — a Flushing native raised by Korean-born shopkeeper parents — delivered a speech recounting his childhood and deep local roots.
“My parents landed in Woodside in the 80s,” Park said. “Their first apartment was three blocks this way, one-bedroom. They had five kids, they were street peddlers, they f— grinded it out, they hustled, they made it. That story is all of our stories.”
“We all came from somewhere else, we landed here, and this country treated us like shit,” he continued. “We are here, and we deserve a leader that has that same fire, that same spice, that same grit. We’re gonna have that leader soon.”
After Park’s speech, local musician and clothing designer Naveed Ahmed performed a set of original songs. Then, the crowd, many of whom had door-knocked for Park’s campaign, urged a semi-reluctant Park — who’d just returned from a canvassing session in Bayside — to show off his moves. DJ and campaign Digital Media Coordinator Yassin Elabassi paused his set of lively dance tracks and remixes of pop hits as Park, dressed in a loose beige T-shirt and black athletic pants, approached the dance floor and the audience chanted his name.
The congressional hopeful hit the floor, completing several acrobatic breakdancing spins before landing in a graceful pose, to cheers and several shouts of “That’s my congressman!”
Though not backed by the city’s most influential left-wing organizations — namely the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and Working Families Party (WFP) — Park’s unwavering defense of Queen’s immigrants as well as his calls for ending US military aid to Israel have brought him local recognition and social media fame. His calls for a public debate with Representative Meng, meanwhile, have gone largely unanswered.
Regarding his canvassing in Bayside — one of New York City’s most conservative neighborhoods — Park said residents’ response to his message were largely positive.
“People think they’re conservative out there, a little more centrist, but really they’re as frustrated and fed up with establishment politics as people in the Western edge of Queens,” Park told the Queens Ledger shortly before hitting the dance floor. “They also think that their leaders are bought, that their leaders aren’t on these streets working for them.”
“We are the richest country in the world, but it does not feel like that on the streets of Queens,” Park continued. “Yeah, we do have enough to take care of every single one of us, me, you, our parents, our kids. If only our leaders weren’t wasting our money on war and ICE and genocide, we could take care of every single one of us.”
Ahmed said he first learned of Park’s campaign through his sister, who once was a colleague of Park’s at the State Department. But it was Park’s consistency and values-driven message that earned Ahmed’s support.
“He’s doubled down on the values that really matter to these communities that he’s running for,” Ahmed said. “Woodside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, all the way to Flushing and Bayside— these are predominantly immigrant communities, working-class communities, and he’s able to say with his whole chest, like, ‘Hey, I’m calling for the abolition of ICE. Hey, the United States should not be funding genocide in the Middle East, should not be funding wars in Iran.’ Very few candidates can even do that.”
Not to mention, Park has been adamantly against the Metropolitan Park Casino project in Flushing, which Meng and several elected Democrats have expressed support for.
“I met him for the first time at an event protesting the casino that they’re building in Flushing,” Ahmed continued. “His message was always consistent from the beginning, he never wavered on his principles or what he stood for for the sake of trying to be more relatable, or to widen his reach.”
Democratic primary elections in New York take place June 23. For more information on Park’s campaign, visit chuckforqueens.com
